Upgrading a light source

ABSTRACT

A method comprising: providing a light source in the form of a luminaire or lamp operable to emit light into an environment, the light source being activated from a time at which the light source is first deployed into said environment to enable the light to be controlled via a first communication channel, but having a capability for the light to be controlled via a second communication channel being electronically deactivated at the time of deployment; then after the time of deployment of the light source into the environment, receiving a request to upgrade the light source; and in response to this request, sending activation data to the light source or a user of the light source, thereby enabling the capability for the light to be controlled via the second communication channel to be electronically activated.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to providing a luminaire or individuallamp with the additional functionality of being able to be controlledremotely from a control device such as a smartphone, tablet or laptop ordesktop computer.

BACKGROUND

A luminaire (light fixture) is a device comprising at least one lightingelement (lamp) for emitting the illumination, and any associated socket,support and/or housing. A luminaire may take any of a variety of forms,such as a conventional ceiling or wall mounted luminaire, a freestanding luminaire or a wall washer, or a less conventional form such asan illumination source built into a surface or an item of furniture, orany other type of lighting device for emitting illumination into anenvironment. The lamp refers to the actual lighting element, of whichthere may be one or more per luminaire. The lamp may also take any of anumber of forms, such as an LED-based lamp comprising one or more LEDs,a organic LED (OLED) or a gas-discharge lamp, or a traditional filamentbulb. “Light source” is a general term which may be used herein to referto either an individual lamp or a luminaire comprising one or morelamps.

Nowadays a luminaire or even an individual lamp may also be equippedwith a communication interface allowing the luminaire or lamp (lightsource) to be controlled remotely by lighting control commands receivedfrom a user device such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktopcomputer, or wireless wall-switch; and/or based on sensor readingsreceived from one or more remote sensors. The communication interfacemay be included in the housing of the luminaire, or even directly withinthe lamp itself (e.g. in the end-cap of a retrofittable replacement fora filament bulb or fluorescent tube). For example this can allow a user,through the user device, to turn the illumination from the light source(luminaire or lamp) on and off, to dim the illumination level up ordown, to change the colour of the emitted illumination, and/or to createa dynamic (time varying) lighting effect. In addition, a light sourcemay include one or more of various types of environmental sensor builtin to the light source, e.g. for aggregating data from multiple suchlight sources, both related to lighting (e.g. daylight or occupancysensor) and/or non-lighting applications (CO, CO2, moisture, noise,temperature, pollution)

In one form, the communication interface is configured to receive thelighting control commands and/or to share sensor data via a localwireless communication channel, typically using a short-range radioaccess technology such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee or Bluetooth or contact-lesscommunication technologies such as NFC. This could be either via adirect link from the control device to the light source (e.g. a directwireless link such as a ZigBee or Bluetooth link), or via a router of alocal area network (e.g. via a wireless router of a wireless areanetwork such as a Wi-Fi network), or even via a local ad hoc connectionamongst a distributed network of light sources (e.g. again using ZigBeeor Bluetooth). In the case of radio, short range communicationtechnology may be on an unlicensed band. In the case of wirelesscommunications generally, a local communication technology typicallyoperates over a range less than 100 to 200 m, or less. Such luminairesor lamps as described above may be referred to herein as “wireless lightsources”.

In another form, the communications interface of the light source isconfigured to allow it to receive the lighting control commands and/orto share sensor data via a connection over a wide area network, such asthe Internet a mobile cellular network (e.g. a 3GPP network), and/oreven a dedicated wide-area lighting control network (e.g. based onlong-range RF) or a smart city-infrastructure network (such as a meshnetwork for smart meters, lighting and smart city applications). Thismay be conducted using a suitable packet-based communication technologyfor wide area communications over wired and/or wireless networks, suchas Internet Protocol (IP), cellular protocols, or even dedicated widearea lighting control technologies such as those based on Ultra NarrowBand. A wide area network is one that covers a greater area than a localarea network or other such short range, local technology, and often muchgreater distances (e.g. networked end nodes separated by >1000 m). Suchlight sources as these may be referred to herein as “connected” lightsources (though note that the fact that “connected light sources” arecontrasted herein with basic “wireless light sources” does not excludethe possibility that connected light sources may use wireless means,e.g. the connection between the light source and a bridge providingaccess to the wide area network may be via a local wireless link, suchas via Wi-Fi, 6LoWPAN, ZigBee or Bluetooth).

There is an increasing number of wireless light sources being deployedcapable of communicating with a wireless control device such as a userterminal or sensor in a limited-size local network. Connected lightsources, with additional advanced digital functionality including remoteconnection, are also of interest to some users but are more complex forthe provider to implement. Two options are presently used by providers.The first option is to offer two intentionally non-interoperablewireless ecosystems. The second option is to use the same wireless lightsource SKU (stock-keeping-unit, i.e. product) for both the wirelesslight source and the connected light source.

SUMMARY

The first of the above options has the disadvantage that the system isinflexible, in that a user of one or more basic wireless light sourceswould have to install a whole new system in order to take migrate tomore advanced connected features. On the other hand, the second optionhas the disadvantage that the provider has to provide light sourcesequipped with the capacity for the more advanced connected functionalityindiscriminately to all users.

It would be desirable to provide a model for upgrading a light source(luminaire and/or individual lamp) from one communication technology toanother, such as from standalone local control to bridge-based connectedlighting.

According to one aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a methodcomprising: providing a light source in the form of a luminaire or lampoperable to emit light into an environment (such as illumination forilluminating the environment), the light source being activated from atime at which the light source is first deployed into said environmentto enable the light to be controlled via a first communication channel,but having a capability for the light to be controlled via a secondcommunication channel being electronically deactivated at said time;then after said time of the deployment of the light source into saidenvironment, receiving a request to upgrade the light source; and inresponse to said request, sending activation data to the light source ora user of the light source, thereby enabling said capability for thelight to be controlled via the second communication channel to beelectronically activated.

For instance, the light source may be equipped with said capability forthe light to be controlled via the second communication channel from thetime of said deployment of the light source, but with said capabilitybeing electronically deactivated by being electronically locked at saidtime of deployment; and said activation data may comprise an electronicsecurity key, enabling said capability to be unlocked on said lightsource. Alternatively (or additionally) said capability may beelectronically deactivated by at least part of the software required toimplement said capability being omitted from the light source at saidtime of deployment, and the activation data may comprise a softwareupgrade which provides the omitted software (the software upgradecomprising code which when downloaded to and run on the light sourceprovides said capability).

In embodiments, the first communication channel may be via a local areanetwork, or a direct point-to-point connection with the light source. Inembodiments, the first communication technology may comprise a wirelesscommunication technology, such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, 6LoWPAN or Wi-Fi.Alternatively the first communication channel may be via a wired meanssuch as power-line communication, Ethernet cables, DMX network or DALInetwork, or other cable-based network.

In embodiments, the second communication channel may be via a wide areanetwork, such as the Internet, a cellular network such as a 3GPPnetwork, or a dedicated wide-area (e.g. city-wide) lighting or utilitycontrol network (e.g. a smart city infrastructure network such as awireless smart meter network). Alternatively the second communicationchannel may be just be via a local demand response controller for theentire building in which the light source is deployed.

In embodiments, the method may comprise receiving information relatingto the light source, and computing a payment or other transaction as afunction of said information; wherein the sending of said activationdata may be made conditional on receipt of said payment or othertransaction (where a payment means a monetary payment, and where otherkinds of transactions could include for instance the customer makingbusiness commitments to order additional products from a supplier of thelight source in the future, or to subscribe to service contracts, oradvanced financing schemes). For example said information may compriseone or more of: a spent or remaining lifetime of the light source, apredicted power saving to be achieved by the upgrade, a predicted amountof time or number of times the second communication channel will be usedto control the illumination, a type of the lighting bridge, a geographiclocation of said deployment, and/or a number of other networkableluminaires and/or utilities in said environment which could beincorporated into a same network as said light source if said capabilityis activated.

Thus there is enabled a dynamic-fee based upgrade system, wherebypricing of the fee based upgrade is dynamically calculated oncase-per-case basis, based on the specific user benefit obtained fromupgrading from a connect ready to a connected systems.

In embodiments, said security key may be (at least in part) based on aunique ID of the light source. In embodiments the security key may bebased on both the unique ID of the light source and a universalunlocking key common to multiple light sources.

In embodiments, a security key may also be required for unlocking thefirst communication technology to enable the light to be controlled viathe first communication technology, but the security key for unlockingthe first communication technology may be provided to the light sourceor user prior to said deployment or at the time of said deployment.

In embodiments, said request is received from a user. In embodiments,the method may further comprise: detecting the deployment of the lightsource in said environment, when having said second communicationtechnology locked; and in response to said detection, prompting a userwith an option to upgrade the light source, thereby invoking saidrequest. Preferably (but not necessarily) the detecting of thedeployment and/or the prompting of the user are performed automatically.

According to another aspect disclosed herein, there is provided a systemcomprising a light source in the form of a luminaire or lamp deployed inan environment, arranged to emit light into the environment, wherein thelight source is configured to enable the light to be controlled via afirst communication channel, but having a capability for the light to becontrolled via a second communication channel being electronicallydeactivated; and a server arranged to receive a request to upgrade thelight source, and in response to said request, to send activation datato the light source or a user of the lights source, thereby enablingsaid capability for the light to be controlled via the secondcommunication channel to be electronically activated.

In embodiments, the system comprises a lighting bridge arranged toautomatically detect the deployment of the light source in saidenvironment when having said second communication technology locked, andin response to said detection, to automatically prompt a user with anoption to upgrade the light source, thereby invoking said request.

According to another aspect disclosed herein, there is provided acomputer program product for controlling a light source in the form of aluminaire or lamp to emit light into an environment, the computerprogram product being embodied on a computer-readable storage medium andconfigured so as when run on the light source to: from a time at whichthe light source is first deployed into said environment, enabling thelight to be controlled via a first communication channel; receiveactivation data after said time of deployment of the light source intosaid environment; and use the received activation data to enable thelight to be controlled via a second communication channel.

In the context of this disclosure and the claims, the meaning of thewording “activated to enable” is similar to that of “adapted to” or“configured to” but with an additional focus on the activation aspect ofthe feature being enabled. In further embodiments, the light source,computer program, server or bridge, as appropriate, may be configured toperform any of the method steps disclosed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To assist understanding of the present disclosure and to show howembodiments may be put into effect, reference is made by way of exampleto the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a lighting system, and

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a process of upgrading a lightsource.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following describes an in-field migration path for end users toupgrade their wireless luminaires or lamps for usage within a moreconnected system.

In this disclosure the terms local area network, direct point-to-pointconnection, ZigBee, ZigBee Light Link, Bluetooth, 6LoWPAN, Wi-Fi,power-line communication, Ethernet, DMX, DALI, wide area network,Internet, and cellular network are explained as follows:

-   -   “Local area network” (LAN) is a network that interconnects        computing devices within a limited area such as a residence,        school, laboratory, or office building. A local area network is        contrasted in principle to a wide area network (WAN), which        covers a larger geographic distance and may involve leased        telecommunication circuits, while the media for LANs are locally        managed. Ethernet over twisted pair cabling and Wi-Fi are the        two most common transmission technologies in use for local area        networks.    -   A “direct point-to-point connection” is a network topology for        arranging elements/nodes in a network. Point-to-point        connections are the simplest topology with a dedicated link        between two endpoints. Switched point-to-point topologies are        the basic model of conventional telephony. A permanent        point-to-point network has the advantage of unimpeded        communications between the two endpoints.    -   “ZigBee” is an IEEE 802.15.4-based specification for a suite of        high-level communication protocols used to create personal area        networks with small, low-power digital radios. The technology        defined by the ZigBee specification is intended to be simpler        and less expensive than other wireless personal area networks        (WPANs), such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Applications include        wireless light switches, electrical meters with        in-home-displays, traffic management systems, and other consumer        and industrial equipment that requires short-range low-rate        wireless data transfer.    -   Its low power consumption limits transmission distances to        10-100 meters line-of-sight, depending on power output and        environmental characteristics. ZigBee devices can transmit data        over long distances by passing data through a mesh network of        intermediate devices to reach more distant ones. ZigBee is        typically used in low data rate applications that require long        battery life and secure networking (ZigBee networks are secured        by 128 bit symmetric encryption keys.) ZigBee has a defined rate        of 250 kbit/s, best suited for intermittent data transmissions        from a sensor or input device. ZigBee was conceived in 1998,        standardized in 2003, and revised in 2006.    -   The ZigBee Alliance is a group of companies that maintain and        publish the ZigBee standard.[10] The term ZigBee is a registered        trademark of this group, not a single technical standard. The        Alliance publishes application profiles that allow multiple OEM        vendors to create interoperable products. The relationship        between IEEE 802.15.4 and ZigBee[11] is similar to that between        IEEE 802.11 and the Wi-Fi Alliance. The current list of        published application profiles includes: ZigBee Home Automation        1.2, ZigBee Smart Energies 1.1b, ZigBee Telecommunication        Services 1.0, ZigBee Health Care 1.0, ZigBee RF4CE—Remote        Control 1.0, ZigBee RF4CE—Input Device 1.0, ZigBee Remote        Control 2.0, ZigBee Light Link 1.0, ZigBee IP 1.0, ZigBee        Building Automation 1.0, ZigBee Gateway 1.0, ZigBee Green Power        1.0 (Optional battery-less remote control feature of        ZigBee 2012) and ZigBee Retail Services.    -   “ZigBee Light Link” gives the lighting industry a global        standard for interoperable and very easy-to-use consumer        lighting and control products. It allows consumers to gain        wireless control over all their LED fixtures, light bulbs,        timers, remotes and switches. Products using this standard will        let consumers change lighting remotely to reflect ambiance, task        or season, all while managing energy use and making their homes        greener. Since ZigBee Light Link is a ZigBee standard, lighting        products will interoperate effortlessly with products using        other ZigBee standards already in consumers' homes, including        ZigBee Home Automation, ZigBee Input Device, ZigBee Remote        Control and ZigBee Health Care.    -   “Bluetooth” is a wireless technology standard for exchanging        data over short distances (using short-wavelength UHF radio        waves in the ISM band from 2.4 to 2.485 GHz) from fixed and        mobile devices, and building personal area networks (PANs).        Bluetooth is managed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group        (SIG), which has more than 25,000 member companies in the areas        of telecommunication, computing, networking, and consumer        electronics. The IEEE standardized Bluetooth as IEEE 802.15.1,        but no longer maintains the standard. The Bluetooth SIG oversees        development of the specification, manages the qualification        program, and protects the trademarks. A manufacturer must make a        device meet Bluetooth SIG standards to market it as a Bluetooth        device.    -   “6LoWPAN” is an acronym of IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal        Area Networks. 6LoWPAN is the name of a concluded working group        in the Internet area of the IETF (Internet Engineering Task        Force). The 6LoWPAN concept originated from the idea that “the        Internet Protocol could and should be applied even to the        smallest devices,” and that low-power devices with limited        processing capabilities should be able to participate in the        Internet of Things. The 6LoWPAN group has defined encapsulation        and header compression mechanisms that allow IPv6 packets to be        sent and received over IEEE 802.15.4 based networks. The base        specification developed by the 6LoWPAN IETF group is RFC 4944        (updated by RFC 6282 with header compression, and by RFC 6775        with neighbor discovery optimizations).    -   “Wi-Fi” is a technology that allows electronic devices to        connect to a wireless LAN (WLAN) network, mainly using the 2.4        gigahertz UHF and 5 gigahertz SHF ISM radio bands. The Wi-Fi        Alliance defines Wi-Fi as any “wireless local area network”        (WLAN) product based on the Institute of Electrical and        Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 standards.    -   “Power-line communication” (PLC) is a communication protocol        that uses electrical wiring to simultaneously carry both data,        and Alternating Current (AC) electric power transmission or        electric power distribution. It is also known as power-line        carrier, power-line digital subscriber line (PDSL), mains        communication, power-line telecommunications, or power-line        networking (PLN). A wide range of power-line communication        technologies are needed for different applications, ranging from        home automation to Internet access which is often called        broadband over power lines (BPL). Most PLC technologies limit        themselves to one type of wire (such as premises wiring within a        single building), but some can cross between two levels (for        example, both the distribution network and premises wiring).        Typically transformers prevent propagating the signal, which        requires multiple technologies to form very large networks.        Various data rates and frequencies are used in different        situations.    -   “Ethernet” is a family of computer networking technologies        commonly used in local area networks (LANs) and metropolitan        area networks (MANs). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and        first standardized in 1983 as IEEE 802.3, and has since been        refined to support higher bit rates and longer link distances.        The original 10BASE5 Ethernet uses coaxial cable as a shared        medium, while the newer Ethernet variants use twisted pair and        fiber optic links in conjunction with hubs or switches. Over the        course of its history, Ethernet data transfer rates have been        increased from the original 2.94 megabits per second (Mbit/s) to        the latest 100 gigabits per second (Gbit/s), with 400 Gbit/s        expected by late 2017. The Ethernet standards comprise several        wiring and signaling variants of the OSI physical layer in use        with Ethernet.    -   “DMX” (Digital Multiplex) or DMX512 is a standard for digital        communication networks that are commonly used to control stage        lighting and effects. DMX was originally intended as a        standardized method for controlling light dimmers, which, prior        to DMX512, had employed various incompatible proprietary        protocols. It soon became the primary method for linking        controllers (such as a lighting console) to dimmers and special        effects devices such as fog machines and intelligent lights. DMX        has also expanded to uses in non-theatrical interior and        architectural lighting, at scales ranging from strings of        Christmas lights to electronic billboards. DMX can now be used        to control almost anything, reflecting its popularity in        theaters and venues. DMX512 employs EIA-485 differential        signaling at its physical layer, in conjunction with a        variable-size, packet-based communication protocol. It is        unidirectional.    -   “DALI” (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) is a data        protocol and transport mechanism that was jointly developed and        specified by several manufacturers of lighting equipment. The        common platform of DALI enables equipment from different        manufacturers to be connected together. The first version of the        DALI standard was defined in appendix E of the IEC 60929. The        DALI protocol is now set out in IEC 62386. IEC 60929 and IEC        62386 are technical standards for network-based systems that        control lighting in building automation. They were established        as a successor for 0-10 V lighting control systems, and as an        open standard alternative to Digital Signal Interface (DSI), on        which it is based.    -   A “wide area network” (WAN) is a telecommunications network or        computer network that extends over a large geographical        distance. Wide area networks are often established with leased        telecommunication circuits. The Internet may be considered a        WAN. Many technologies are available for wide area network        links. Examples include circuit switched telephone lines, radio        wave transmission, and optic fiber. New developments in        technologies have successively increased transmission rates.        Presently households are connected to the Internet with ADSL,        Cable, Wimax, 4G or fiber at speeds ranging from 1 Mbit/s to 1        Gbit/s and the connections in the core of a WAN can range from 1        Gbit/s to 100 Gbit/s.    -   “Internet” is the global system of interconnected computer        networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link        billions of devices worldwide. It is a network of networks that        consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and        government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad        array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking        technologies. The Internet carries an extensive range of        information resources and services, such as the inter-linked        hypertext documents and applications of the World Wide Web        (WWW), electronic mail, telephony, and peer-to-peer networks for        file sharing.    -   While the hardware components in the Internet infrastructure can        often be used to support other software systems, it is the        design and the standardization process of the software that        characterizes the Internet and provides the foundation for its        scalability and success. The responsibility for the        architectural design of the Internet software systems has been        assumed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The IETF        conducts standard-setting work groups, open to any individual,        about the various aspects of Internet architecture. Resulting        contributions and standards are published as Request for        Comments (RFC) documents on the IETF web site. The principal        methods of networking that enable the Internet are contained in        specially designated RFCs that constitute the Internet        Standards. Other less rigorous documents are simply informative,        experimental, or historical, or document the best current        practices (BCP) when implementing Internet technologies. The        Internet standards describe a framework known as the Internet        protocol suite.    -   A “cellular network” or mobile network is a communication        network where the last link is wireless. The network is        distributed over land areas called cells, each served by at        least one fixed-location transceiver, known as a cell site or        base station. This base station provides the cell with the        network coverage which can be used for transmission of voice,        data and others. In a cellular network, each cell uses a        different set of frequencies from neighboring cells, to avoid        interference and provide guaranteed bandwidth within each cell.        When joined together these cells provide radio coverage over a        wide geographic area. This enables a large number of portable        transceivers (e.g., mobile phones, pagers, etc.) to communicate        with each other and with fixed transceivers and telephones        anywhere in the network, via base stations, even if some of the        transceivers are moving through more than one cell during        transmission.    -   A simple view of the cellular mobile-radio network consists of        the following: (i) a network of radio base stations forming the        base station subsystem, (ii) the core circuit switched network        for handling voice calls and text, (iii) a packet switched        network for handling mobile data, and (iv) the public switched        telephone network to connect subscribers to the wider telephony        network.        The above communication methods may be grouped in different        categories depending of the specific feature(s) of the        communication method taken into account. One classification may        for example be based on wired (e.g. DALI, DMX, power-line        communication, Ethernet) versus wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi, ZigBee,        Bleutooth, 6LoWPAN). Communication methods frequently applied        for indoor lighting applications include for example ZigBee        Light Link, DMX and DALI whereas for outdoor lighting        applications power-line communication and cellular networks are        for example used. Recently, with the realm of the Internet of        Thinks, the lighting industry is also adopting Internet Protocol        (IP), power-over-ethernet (PoE) and USB standards to connect to        and communicate with lighting devices in a network.

For example, in embodiments each light source Stock Keeping Unit (SKU)will be provided with a proprietary Connect-Ready key and a Zigbee LightLink key. Connect-ready herein refers to a system which is not connectedto the internet (but has the potential to be). Connect-Ready and ZigbeeLight Link are designed as two different parallel universes following asimilar security & key approach, and the same command set as ZigbeeLight Link, but the Connect-Ready keys are only known or only availableto certain luminaires. When the light source is sold as a (basic)wireless light source, the Zigbee Light Link key is not enabled.

The migration method includes the following features.

The bridge of a connected system may discover a non-connected wirelesslight source and may for example suggest the end user for a fee-basedupgrade.

If the end user confirms a desire to upgrade, the bridge requestsapplication related data from the wireless light source's applicationframework.

Based on the received data, the bridge or portal calculates a dynamicfee or recurring revenue for the upgrade from a standalone wirelesslight source to a connected light source. The fee or recurring revenueis related to the data received by the bridge.

Upon payment by the end user, the bridge sends a proof of payment orother authentication or access-control-credentials to the wireless lightsource, which then changes its status to allow connectivity to a networkcontrolled by the bridge. The wireless light source changes itsproprietary Connect-Ready key into an official ZigBee Light Link key forthe connected system.

The fee may be based on the potential revenues associated with the usagedata received by the bridge from the light source. The fee may also bebased on the desired future usage characteristics by the bridge for thelight source (e.g. desired future control features for the light source,desired access of light source data for data analytics such asend-of-life data, geographical location and/or size of the connectednetwork, etc.).

In addition to unlocking the wireless light source for upgrade to aconnected light source, a similar fee-based unlocking mechanism can beused to selectively allow a firmware upgrade over the air or any updatesof configuration data (for instance to upgrade the behaviour of lightsources with the latest sensing recipe).

Certain components within the ecosystem, such as wireless wall switchesmay be automatically upgraded—without a fee payment—towards a connectedswitch, while other components such as LED light sources require a fee.

The disclosed techniques can also be extended for example to Wi-Fi,6LoWPAN or Bluetooth use cases where just a smartphone and the LED lightsource are involved without the presence of a bridge. The disclosedtechniques enable one to use the same luminaire SKU for both the“wireless (connect ready)” and the “connected” cases. The disclosedmodel enables one to keep the “wireless” and “connected” controlecosystems non-interoperable, while at the same time neverthelessenabling a dynamic-fee based in-field migration path for end-users toupgrade their “wireless” light sources for usage within a “connected”system.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example lighting system in which the disclosedtechniques may be implemented. The system comprises one or moreluminaires 4 installed in an environment 2, arranged to emit light inorder to illuminate that environment 2. The environment 2 may be anindoor space such as one or more rooms and/or corridors; or an outdoorspace such as a park, garden, road, or outdoor parking area; or apartially covered space such as a stadium, structured parking facilityor gazebo; or any other space such as an interior of a vehicle, or anycombination of these. Each of the luminaires 4 comprises at least onerespective lamp such as an LED-based lamp, gas-discharge lamp orfilament bulb, plus any associated housing or support. Each of theluminaires 4 may take any suitable form such as a ceiling or wallmounted luminaire, a free standing luminaire, a wall washer, or a lessconventional form such as or embedded lighting built into an item offurniture, a building material such as glass or concrete, or any othersurface. In general a luminaire 4 may be any type of illumination devicefor emitting illumination into the environment 2 so as to illuminate theenvironment 2—i.e. devices designed and used to allow users to see andfind their way about within the environment 2, providing orsubstantially contributing to the illumination on a scale adequate forthat purpose.

To control the lighting system, one or more user terminals 6 may beoperated by one or more users 8. For example the user terminal 6 maytake the form of a mobile user terminal such as a smartphone, tablet orlaptop; or alternatively could be a non-mobile terminal such as adesktop computer or a wireless wall-switch. The user terminal 6 isconfigured to be able to control the illumination emitted by one or moreof the luminaires 4 in the lighting system by transmitting controlsignals to the one or more luminaires 4, e.g. to turn the emittedillumination on or off, dim the illumination level, control the colourof the illumination, and/or cause a dynamic (time-varying) effect in theillumination.

Alternatively or additionally, one or more of the luminaires 4 may becontrolled based on a signal from one or more sensors 5, indicative of asensor reading or sensor readings taken by the sensor(s) 5. E.g. thesensor(s) 5 may comprise one or more presence sensors for sensing thepresence of a person in the environment 2, in which case the sensorsignals are indicative of the sensed presence (or lack thereof), and theluminaire(s) 4 may be configured to dim up or turn on the emittedillumination when a person is detected to be present in a certainpredefined vicinity, and conversely dim down or turn off the emittedillumination when no person is detected to be present in thepredetermined vicinity. And/or, the sensor(s) 5 may comprise one or morelight sensors for sensing an amount of ambient light in the environment2, in which case the sensor signals are indicative of the sensed amountof light, and the luminaire(s) 4 may be configured to dim up or turn onthe emitted illumination when less ambient light is detected and to turnoff or dim down the emitted illumination when more ambient light isdetected.

Thus either a user device 6 and/or a sensor device 5 may act as controldevice for controlling the one or more luminaires 4, by transmitting oneor more control signals in the form of command signals and/or sensorsignals to the one or more luminaires 4. The rule engine for decidingthe lighting setting of the luminaire (based on the one or more stimulifrom the one or more sensors, switches, timers and/or UIs) may belocated within the luminaire 4 or may reside in a device outside of theluminaire (e.g. sensor 5). In embodiments, the user device 6 may alsoreceive information back from one or more of the luminaires 4, e.g.status information such as operating temperature, burning hours to date,a report of a detected fault condition, collected environmental datafrom luminaire-based sensors, etc.

To achieve any of the above the communications from and/or to a userdevice 6 and/or sensor 5, one or more of the luminaires 4 may each beequipped with two different possible communication mechanisms forreceiving the control signals: in embodiments, a first, basic “wireless”(“connect ready”) communication mechanism; and a second, more advanced“connected” communication mechanism. Note: alternatively each individuallamp may be equipped with the control mechanisms discussed below (e.g.with a transceiver and logic being embedded in the endcap of aretrofittable LED-based replacement for a traditional filament bulb orfluorescent tube). For the purpose of illustration, the following willbe described in terms of a luminaire with the relevant communicationmechanisms being included in the luminaire's housing, and with thedevice to be upgraded being the luminaire 4 as a whole. However, it willbe appreciated that in other embodiments, any of the teachings below andelsewhere herein could apply equally to upgrading an individual wirelesslamp (with one or more lamps being present per luminaire 4).

In embodiments, the first, basic wireless communication mechanism uses alocal wireless technology, e.g. a short-range RF technology such asWi-Fi, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN or Bluetooth. This may enable the controldevice(s) 6 and/or sensor(s) 5 to communicate directly with eachindividual one of the one or more luminaires 4 being controlled, i.e.via a direct point-to-point connection. Alternatively the firstcommunication mechanism may involve a control device 6 and/or sensor(s)5 communicating with the luminaire(s) 4 via a wireless local areanetwork (LAN), e.g. via a “dumb” wireless router such as a home oroffice Wi-Fi router (not shown).

The second, “connected” communication mechanism on the other handinvolves a lighting bridge 10 installed or otherwise disposed in theenvironment 2, e.g. in the form of a wall-panel, a unit hidden above theceiling, or a free-standing unit. To use this, the user device 6 and/orsensor 5 connects to the bridge 10, and in turn the bridge 10 connectsto the one or more luminaries 4 being controlled. The communicationsbetween the user device 6 and/or sensor(s) 5 are then conducted via thebridge 10. The bridge 10 may either (A) enable more advanced featuresthan offered in the connect ready situation, (B) enable connection tothe internet 12, and/or (C) enables personal UI devices 6 to control thelighting (which was previously not necessarily possible in the“connect-ready” situation, e.g. the first communication channel onlyenabling control from a wall-switch).

For example, the bridge 10 may be involved in some of the processing ofthe content of the control signals from/to the user device 6 and/orsensor(s) 5, e.g. to receive the sensor signals from one or more sensors5 and perform the decision-making process to control the dimming of theone or more luminaires 4 based on these signals; or to interpret orapply one or more conditions to the user's control commands, such as toarbitrate between commands from different users, etc.; or to collectstatus reports from multiple luminaries 4 and interpret these todetermine whether and/or what to report to the user device 6 based onthese. Alternatively the bridge 10 may simply forward one or more suchcommunications to/from the luminaire 4 from/to the user device 6 and/orsensor 5 unconditionally, without any substantive processing of thecontent.

As another example, the bridge 10 may act as an access point or gatewayto a wide area network such as the Internet 12. When the user device 6or sensor 5 connects to the bridge 10, it may use the bridge to connectto a server 12 comprising one or more server units at one or more sites.This server 12 may be described herein as the “portal”. The portal mayfor instance be the meethue.com portal of the Philips hue system. Forexample, the server 12 may be arranged to authenticate the user 8 oruser device 6 (e.g. based on a password and username), and/or may bearrange to allow the user device 6 and/or sensor(s) 5 to retrieve one ormore settings relating to the control of the one or more luminaires 4,e.g. one or more dynamic lighting effects, and/or sensor recipes(algorithms for determining how the control of the one or moreluminaires 4 varies in dependence one the one or more sensor readings).For instance the user could have such settings stored as part of anaccount hosted by the portal 14, which the user can access when he orshe logs in with his or her username and password.

Alternatively or additionally, the bridge 10 may be arranged to allowthe user 8 to control one or more of the luminaries 4 in saidenvironment 2 from his or her user device 6 when located outside of theenvironment, by transmitting the command signals from the user device 6to the one or more luminaires 4 via the internet 12 and bridge 10 (andoptionally also via the portal server 14). Thus the user 8 is able tocontrol the lighting even when remote from the environment 2 inquestion.

The bridge 10 also may be used for data aggregation, e.g. by reportingdata about the status and/or usage of the luminaire 4 via the internet12 for “big data” purposes.

The various control functionalities of the user device 6, sensor 5and/or luminaire 4 as disclosed anywhere herein may be implemented insoftware code stored on a memory (comprising one or more storagedevices) of the relevant entity 4, 5, 6 and arranged so as when run on aprocessor (comprising one or more processing units) of the relevantentity 4, 5, 6 to perform operations in accordance with the techniquesdisclosed herein. Alternatively it is not excluded to use animplementation in dedicated hardware circuitry, or configurable orreconfigurable circuitry such as a PGA or FPGA, or any combination ofsoftware and hardware. The communication functionality will require atleast some front-end hardware, but the associated communicationprotocols may be implemented in software or hardware, or a combinationthereof.

Note also that the disclosed techniques could be used in relation to anyother combinations of first and second communication mechanism, e.g. awired technology such as Ethernet, DMX or a power-line communicationtechnology for the basic first communication mechanism; and/or a mobilecellular network such as a 3GPP network for the second, more advancemechanism. The following may be described in relation to the example ofa local wireless technology such as ZigBee for the first, basic wirelesstechnology, and communication via a bridge 10 and/or the Internet 12 asthe second wireless technology, but it will be appreciated theseexamples are not necessarily limiting to all possible applications ofthe techniques disclosed herein.

As will be exemplified in more detail below, one or more of theluminaires 4 to be controlled are provided for deployment into saidenvironment 2 equipped with the first, basic wireless functionalityoperational from a time at which the luminaire 4 is first deployed (e.g.if installation and commissioning are required, this means from the timeit is first is installed and commissioned). The luminaire 4 is alsoequipped with the means (e.g. software) required to enable the second,“connected” functionality, but with this functionality electronicallylocked at the time at which the luminaire 4 is first deployed (e.g. evenafter it is first installed and commissioned).

In embodiments, the first and second technologies may comprise the samefront-end hardware but may comprise different communicationprotocols—e.g. both employ ZigBee, but the first, basic wirelesscommunication mechanism communicates directly with the one or moreluminaires 4 being controlled; while the second, “connected” mechanismuses ZigBee to connect between the one or more luminaires 4 and thebridge 10, with the control being via bridge 10 and optionally internet12 (or other wide area network). Alternatively, the first and secondmechanisms may use different front-ends, e.g. the first uses Wi-Fi whilethe second uses a mobile cellular connection (e.g. based on of the 3GPPstandards).

Either way, although the one or more luminaires 4 in question areprovided equipped with both the first (basic wireless) and second(“connected”) control technologies, in accordance with the presentdisclosure the first control technologies is initially locked andrequires a security key to be unlocked for use to actually control therespective luminaire(s) 4. For example this security key may be suppliedfrom the portal server 14 or bridge 10. The key could be transmitteddirectly to the relevant luminaire(s) 4; or it could be could sent to auser 8, e.g. on a dongle or as a code, and the user in turn uses this tounlock the new extra control functionality on the luminaire(s) 4.

The security key is provided to unlock the second technology any timesubstantially after the time at which the luminaire 4 is first deployed(e.g. after it is first installed and commissioned). For instance itcould be send more than 1 day after, more than 1 week after, more than 1month after or even more than 1 year after. In embodiments, this sendingof the security key is performed in response to a request received fromuser to upgrade one or more of the luminaires 4, e.g. submitted througha user terminal. This could be the same user 8 and/or user device 6 asperforms the actual control of the luminaire(s) 4. In the case where thekey is returned to a user rather than directly to the luminaire 4, theuser making the request could also be the same user 8 or a differentuser to whom the key is returned (e.g. a user could request the key himor herself; or could request the key on behalf of his friend, familymember or colleague, etc.).

In further embodiments, the bridge 10 is configured to detect in saidenvironment 2 a newly deployed (e.g. newly installed and commissioned)one of the luminaires 4 having both the first and second controltechnologies but with the second being locked. In this case, the bridge10 may be configured to prompt a user to offer him or her the chance torequest the upgrade. The prompt could be issued through the same userdevice 6 which the user will use to control the luminaire(s) 4, or adifferent device. For example, the bridge 10 may send a wireless signalsuch as a ZigBee or W-Fi signal to the user device 6, causing it todisplay the prompt on a screen of the user device 6. The user beingprompted could be the same user 8 who is to control the luminaire(s) 4in question, the same user who makes the request and/or the same userwho the key is returned to, or could be a different user (e.g. theprompted user reminds his friend, family member or colleague to requesta key at a later date).

As an example application of the disclosed techniques, the inventorsbelieve that in the future, commodity wireless LED luminaires will playa central role for the future growth of the LED luminaire category. Theexpectation is that this wireless luminaires retail business willquickly become a relatively low margin “red-ocean” (i.e. “shark infestedwaters”) similar to the conventional LED luminaire or ComplactFluorescent Lamps (CFL) business. On the other hand, the “connected”business will continue to be focused to build a high margin “blue-ocean”(i.e. “dolphins & sunshine”) business centred on advanced digitalfunctionality such as portals for remote access.

There is hence a desire to separate these “red ocean” of wireless LEDluminaires (e.g. commodity products on the bottom of the shelf at ahome-furnishings store, DIY store or supermarket) from the “blue ocean”of connected LED luminaires (e.g. at a high-tech electronics store),while still enabling a path for in-field upgradability from a “redocean” LED lamp products towards a “blue-ocean” LED luminaire.

This present disclosure enables a wireless LED luminaire solution, whichenables fee-based business models based upon field upgrading ofmass-market wireless lamps (e.g. $14.95 sales price at thehome-furnishings or DIY store; 25% integral gross margin) towardsconnected full-feature wireless luminaires (e.g. $19.95, 40% integralgross margin at the electronics store). This model will help to drivefurther penetration of lighting bridges 10 via customers who initiallyonly purchased basic wireless “red ocean” luminaires.

To deal with the “red ocean” vs. “blue ocean” challenge (basic wirelessvs. connected), two options are currently used by providers:

(I) two intentionally non-interoperable wireless ecosystems are used toseparate blue and red-ocean products; or(II) many companies are now using the same wireless lamp SKU within both“red ocean” and “blue ocean” use cases. Hence, the “red-ocean” customersusing their wireless LED luminaires only with wireless wall switches(without any bridge) must nevertheless indirectly pay for bridge relatedcost; the bridge software development efforts and recurring cloudservice costs are typically covered via the hardware sales price of theLED luminaires. As a consequence, the pricing of the“red-ocean+blue-ocean” luminaire (equipped with the capacity for basicwireless and connected functionality) may be non-competitive comparedcompetitors introducing a dedicated wireless ecosystem for “red-ocean”(basic wireless) only use cases.

The present disclosure describes a technical solution which enables theuse of exactly same LED lamp SKU for both “blue-ocean” and the“red-ocean” markets; the model enables at the same time (I) to keep the“red-ocean” and “blue ocean” control ecosystems non-interoperable and(II) nevertheless enables a dynamic-fee based, in-field migration pathfor end-users to upgrade their “red ocean” (basic wireless) luminairefor usage within a “blue-ocean” fully connected system.

The following describes an upgrading process from “non-connected”standalone lighting control towards “connected” lighting control, e.g.with multiple zones and/or cloud connection. The process is describedwith reference to the flow-chart of FIG. 2.

The starting situation is that the basic “red ocean” wireless LEDluminaire 4 just works with the local wireless wall switches andoccupancy sensors 5; the “red ocean” LED luminaires 4 and the bridge 10are hence not interoperable.

At step S10, the bridge 10 identifies that a “non-connected” red-oceanwireless LED luminaire 4 is present and suggests the end-user 8 afee-based upgrade. Alternatively, the end-user 8 directly provides thebridge 10 with the serial number of the red-ocean luminaire he or she isconsidering upgrading.

At step S20, the end-user 8 confirms via the bridge 10 a desire toinclude the red-ocean basic-wireless LED luminaires 4 within a“blue-ocean” connected system. Alternatively this request could beinitiated autonomously by the user 8, rather than being prompted by thebridge 10 (i.e. step S10 is optional).

At step S30, the “red-ocean” LED luminaire 4 receives a request from thebridge 10 to access application related data from the LED luminaire'sapplication framework.

This data might be for example any one or more of:

a. configuration information of the presently basic-wireless applicationinfrastructure the “red ocean” LED lamp is currently in;b. configuration parameters of the “connect-ready” wireless system;c. characteristics of the wireless luminaire 4 (e.g. lumen, productiondate, and/or colour temperature, etc.);d. permission status of the luminaire regarding its interoperabilitywith lighting bridges 10;e. past usage information of the “connect-ready” system (e.g. past orpresent power consumption, and/or statistics of switching events);and/orf. predicted future usage of the luminaire 4.

At step S40, the basic-wireless luminaire 4 transmits a response to therequest from the bridge 10 based at least in part on the requested datafrom the luminaire's application framework (e.g. unique identifier ofthe LED luminaire, size of the network, and/or lamp past-usageinformation, etc.). Alternatively any of the above information could besubmitted up-front as part of the request at Step S20 (i.e. the separaterequest from the bridge at step S30 is optional).

At step S50, the bridge 10 or portal 12 calculates a dynamic fee or arecurring revenue for the upgrade from standalone wireless control toconnected control. The fee or recurring revenue is related to theapplication-specific luminaire data received by the bridge 10.

At step S60, the fee is charged to the end user 8 for upgrading thebasic wireless luminaire 4 towards a fully connected luminaire. Uponpayment by the consumer 8, the bridge 10 sends a proof of payment orother authentication or access-control-credentials to the LED luminaire4. The basic LED luminaire 4 validates the proof of payment or otherauthentication or access control credentials it receives via the bridge10.

At step S70, the LED luminaire 4 changes its status to allow inclusionof the basic LED luminaire in the network controlled by the bridge. TheLED luminaire 4 exchanges its proprietary “red ocean” network key forthe official Zigbee LightLink key used in the “blue-ocean” ecosystem.The bridge 10 removes the basic LED luminaire 4 from the autonomouslystand-alone controlled wireless network. The bridge 10 includes the LEDluminaire 4 into the bridge network. The now-connected LED luminaire 4hence from now on is controlled by the bridge 10.

The fee might be based on the potential revenues associated with theusage data (application-specific data) received by the bridge from theluminaire 4. The calculation may for example include the expected energysavings (e.g. peak load shaving rebates from utilities) if the one ormore LED luminaires 4 are transitioned from insular (basic) controls tobeing connected to the bridge 10 and/or cloud 12.

The upgrade fee may be based on the desired future usage characteristicsfor the bridge 10 and/or the LED luminaire (e.g. whether the luminaire 4is to be used with a bridge controller 10 which is capable of dynamiclighting effect, or with a white dimming-only bridge for static scenesetting; in which case there may be an extra charge for a correspondingfirmware upgrade over the air).

The future usage characteristics can also include: how often the bridge10 typically will be accessing data from the LED lamp or intelligent LEDluminaire 4 (e.g. creation of highly granular data from luminaire-basedoccupancy sensing); the amount of data; the geographic location of theLED luminaire 4 and/or bridge 10 (e.g. different upgrade prices foremerging countries and US); the composition of the lighting controlnetwork (e.g. number of luminaires 4 and/or switches); and/or how longthe LED lamp has been running or how close the LED lamp is to the end ofits life. For instance, the spent or expected remaining lifespan may bemeasured in units of burning hours, or total age since new in months oryears. E.g. the spent lifespan may be detected as the number of burninghours to-date; or the remaining lifespan may be determined by advancedend-of-life prediction taking into account factors such as light sourcedimming levels and ambient temperature, e.g. to predict when there areonly 10 k hours left.

It may be desirable to offer very attractively priced “blue-ocean”upgrade for lamps or luminaires 4 towards the end of their life, ashaving knowledge about the specific installation location ofalmost-failing luminaires 4 are of high economic value for the luminairemanufacturer; this may include a model to offer the customer LED lamp orluminaire replacement deals via the bridge 10 and/or an app running onthe user device 6 (or other user device).

In addition to unlocking “red ocean” luminaires for use with a bridge10, a similar fee-based unlocking mechanism can be used to selectivelyallow firmware-upgrade-over-the-air or any updates of configuration dataagainst (for instance, the luminaire OEM wants to upgrade the“personality” of luminaire with the latest sensing recipe).

In embodiments, certain components within the ecosystem, such aswireless wall switches may be automatically upgraded—without a feepayment—towards connected, while other components such as LED luminairesmay require a fee

The disclosure can also be extended also to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth use caseswhere just a smartphone and the LED luminaire are involved without thepresence of a bridge.

One possible embodiment of fee-based upgrade approach is described inthe following in relation to a Zigbee Light Link implementation. In thisexample, the provider will embed within each “red ocean” Connect-Readyluminaire 4 both a proprietary Connect-ready key and a LightLink key.The Zigbee alliance does not charge any fees for Light Link keys; thiswill enable models where only a small fraction of Connect-Readyluminaires 4 will actually be upgraded towards the connected modality.Connect-Ready and Zigbee Light Link are designed as a two differentparallel universes; however, Connect-Ready will follow a rather similarsecurity & key approach and the same command set as Zigbee Light Link;but unlike ZLL, the global key for ZLL-ready is only made known oravailable to some particular luminaires 4 and wall-switches and notothers, e.g. only this from a particular provider or providers.

An example process for the after-sales upgrade from a proprietary“ZLL-Ready” Connect-Ready luminaire to an “ZLL open-standard” connectedluminaire may then be as follows. First, the bridge 10 searches forproprietary ZLL-Ready Connect-Ready lamps. In ZLO (the upcoming merge ofZLL, Zigbee Green Power and Zigbee HomeAutomation) every luminaire 4 hasan individual unique identifier code. The bridge 10 can query theConnect-ready luminaire for this unique code; this is possible withoutthe connect-ready ZLL-ready luminaire 4 yet being commissioned withinthe bridge's network. The bridge 10 then sends this unique luminaireidentifier code to the portal 14 to check if this specific Connect-Readyluminaire 4 has been upgraded by the end-user 8 to a Connected LEDluminaire. If the upgrade payment has been confirmed by the portal 14,the bridge 10 initiates the upgrade process: the bridge 10 will send tothe Connect-Ready lamp a double-secured universal unlocking key, whichcan decrypt the real ZLL or ZLO key already hidden within theConnect-Ready LED lamp.

The double secured key contains both the unique identifier of thespecific LED luminaire 4 which needs to be unlocked and the universalunlocking key for upgrading towards ZLL. This prevents replay attacks.The string is then encrypted with another key, which is known by boththe portal 14 and the ZLL-ready luminaire 4. The LED luminaire 4 uses akey to decrypt the message sent by the bridge 10 or portal 14. Theluminaire 4 then compares whether the unique identifier received in thismessage coincides with its unique identifier. If yes, it uses theunlocking key sent by the bridge to unhide the ZLL key in the LEDluminaire 4. The upgraded Connect-Ready LED luminaire 4 then leaves the“red-ocean” standalone network and joins the bridge as a full-featureConnected luminaire (e.g. including over-the-air firmware upgradecapability). The luminaire 4 may reboot to start with the new ZLLnetworking stack and the new configuration parameters.

Note that the upgrade process described above uses the same mechanismsas common in Zigbee, and hence it is no more and no less secure asZigbee.

In embodiments, there may be applied an app-based upgrade process, whichgets initiated as soon as the bridge 10 discovers a new Connect-Readyluminaire 4. In this case, a notification message is pushed to anapplication (app) running on the end-user's smartphone, offering him orher a fee-based upgrade towards a Connected luminaire. The app-basedpayment follows the well-known security strategies used by onlineretailers.

In embodiments, the status of the LED luminaires 4 (fee already paid orfee unpaid) may be registered in a central database of LED lamps andswitches, accessible to the portal server 14.

Whenever a bridge 10 detects a connect-ready lamp which the bridge 10 isnot yet authorized to control, the bridge 10 transmits a request forregistration information to the cloud 12, 14. If the LED luminaire 4 isdetermined to be authorized, the cloud 12, 14 transmits a response tothe request from the bridge 10, which is based upon the identifier ofthe luminaire 4 and may include a security code which the bridge 10 canuse to unlock the LED luminaire for use with bridges 10. Certain bridges10 may be enabled to unlock all Connect-ready LED luminaires 4 withoutany payments or checking of the registration information in the cloud.

It will be appreciated that the above embodiments have been describedonly by way of example.

For instance, the above process can be applied in relation to othertypes of first and second access technologies, not just a proprietary“Connect-Ready” technology as the first, and/or not just a ZigBee LightLink as the second technology. In general, where a light source 4 iscontrollable via any first communication channel, the upgrade can be toenable additional control functionality via any second communicationchannel different from the first channel; where the second communicationchannel may use a different communication technology than the first(e.g. upgrade to ZigBee), or may use the same communication technology(e.g. both ZigBee) but with the second channel being via a differentpath than the first channel (e.g. upgrade to control via a lightingbridge 10).

For example, a light source that is initially only controllable via afirst channel in the form of a wired means such as power-linecommunications (e.g. power over Ethernet), and then the light source 4may be upgraded to being controllable via a second communication channelin the form of a wireless means such as ZigBee, Wi-Fi etc. Or as anotherexample, the first communication channel may comprise only apoint-to-point communication mode that just exists for configuring thelight source 4 (e.g. light output trimming via Bluetooth, parametersetting of standalone daylight sensor or occupancy sensor control). Inthis case, the second channel to which the light source 4 is upgradedmay just be a local wireless network for as little as two or more lightsources 4, e.g. to upgrade to control via a single local demand responsecontroller for the building in which the light source 4 is deployed. Inanother example, the second channel may be a cellular connection via amobile cellular network such as a 3GPP network (e.g. this example mayespecially relevant for streetlighting applications).

As another example, the light source 4 may be upgraded from adistributed intelligence (whereby each light source has a respectivesensor and the light sources 4 control themselves based on sensorsignals shared between the light sources 4), to a centralizedintelligence (whereby at least some of the decision-making involved incontrolling the luminaires 4 is performed by a centralized lightingbridge 10). As yet another example, the light source may be upgradedfrom a stand-alone intelligence (whereby each light source actsautonomously based on its own respective sensor) to a distributedintelligence.

Further, other forms of security key will in themselves be known to aperson skilled in the art, and so could be used for the unlocking of thesecond control technology. Moreover, the disclosed techniques are notlimited to the case where the capability to be controlled via the secondcommunication channel is already pre-equipped on-board the light source4 at the time of deployment and is activated by being unlocked by asecurity key. Alternatively, the capability to be controlled via thesecond channel may be deactivated by omitting the firmware (embeddedsoftware) or at least part of the firmware required on the light source4 to implement the communication via the second channel (e.g. thesoftware needed to communicate via the bridge 10 or Internet 12). Inthis case, the capability is activated by sending a firmware download tothe light source 4, i.e. a software upgrade providing the relevant codefor implementing the communication via the second channel. The firmwareupgrade of the luminaire may be performed via the bridge or via acommissioning device such as a smartphone/tablet. This option could beused as an alternative to, or in addition to, requiring the light source4 to obtain a key to unlock the capability.

Further, note that once the second communication channel is activated,the first communication channel may be may be deactivated but it neednot necessarily be. Alternatively the first channel may remain fullyactive or partially active even after the second channel has beenactivated. For instance, there are more and more radios in the lightingdomain which can concurrently serve multiple protocols. While theluminaire 4 may be switching to the second communication channel tocommunicate, e.g. with a bridge 10, the luminaire 4 may still keepcommunicating via the first communication channel to a wall-switchend-node, which did not get updated to the second communication channel.E.g. some wall-switch use mechanical energy harvesting (such as the Tapwall-switch product from Philips Hue using Zigbee Green Power), and suchswitches may not necessarily be susceptible to being upgraded.

In yet further embodiments, other lighting systems comprising otherarrangements of one or more light sources 4, one or more control devices6 and/or one or more sensors 5 may also benefit from similar techniquesas those disclosed herein. For instance, the disclosed techniques arenot only applicable to LED based luminaires, and any of the featuresabove may apply equally to other types such those comprising gasdischarge lamps, filament bulbs, organic LEDs (OLEDs), or laserlighting. Further, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited interms of the purpose of luminaire. In embodiments the luminaire 4 beingupgraded is one which is designed to emit illumination suitable forilluminating an environment 2, i.e. functional lighting. Nonetheless,instead of providing functional lighting (or as well as providingfunctional lighting), it is also possible that the luminaire 4 is adevice designed to generate a lighting effect, such as task lighting,accent lighting or mood lighting; e.g. an embedded luminaire embedded ina surface which changes colour. Moreover, any of the features disclosedabove in relation to a luminaire may equally apply to controlling anupgrading an individual lamp in the case where the communicationtechnology is embedded in the lamp itself rather than just in thehousing of the luminaire.

Further, the (monetary) payment computed for the upgrade could insteadbe replaced (or supplemented) by one or more other kinds of transaction.Other kinds of transactions could for example include the customermaking business commitments to order additional products from a supplierof the light source in the future, or to subscribe to service contracts,advanced financing schemes

Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood andeffected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimedinvention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and theappended claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” does not excludeother elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does notexclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfil thefunctions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact thatcertain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims doesnot indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used toadvantage. A computer program may be stored/distributed on a suitablemedium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state mediumsupplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also bedistributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired orwireless telecommunication systems. Any reference signs in the claimsshould not be construed as limiting the scope.

1. A method comprising: providing a light source in the form of aluminaire or lamp operable to emit light into an environment, the lightsource being activated from a time at which the light source is firstdeployed into said environment to enable the light to be controlled viaa first communication channel, but having a capability for the light tobe controlled via a second communication channel being electronicallydeactivated at said time; after said time of deployment of the lightsource into said environment, receiving a request to upgrade the lightsource; and in response to said request, sending activation data to thelight source or to a user of the light source, thereby enabling saidcapability for the light to be controlled via the second communicationchannel to be electronically activated.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the first communication channel is via a local area network, ora direct point-to-point connection with the light source.
 3. The methodof claim 2, wherein the first communication channel is via ZigBee,Bluetooth, 6LoWPAN, Wi-Fi, power-line communication, Ethernet cable, DMXnetwork or DALI network.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondcommunication channel is via a wide area network, or via a bridge thatconnects to a wide area network.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein saidwide area network comprises the Internet, a cellular network, or adedicated wide-area lighting or utility control network.
 6. The methodof claim 1, comprising receiving information relating to the lightsource, and computing a payment or other transaction as a function ofsaid information; wherein the sending of said activation data isconditional on receipt of said payment or other transaction.
 7. Themethod of claim 6, wherein said information comprises one or more of: aspent or remaining lifetime of the light source, a predicted powersaving to be achieved by the upgrade, a predicted amount of time ornumber of times the second communication channel will be used to controlthe illumination, a type of the lighting bridge, a geographic locationof said deployment, and/or a number of other networkable luminairesand/or utilities in said environment which could be incorporated into asame network as said light source if said capability is activated. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the light source is equipped with saidcapability to control the light via the second communication channelfrom the time of said deployment of the light source, but with saidcapability being electronically deactivated by being electronicallylocked at said time of deployment; and said activation data comprises anelectronic security key, enabling said capability to be unlocked on saidlight source.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said security key is atleast in part based on a unique ID of the luminaire.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, wherein a security key is also required for unlocking the firstcommunication technology to enable the light to be controlled via thefirst communication technology, but the security key for unlocking thefirst communication technology is provided to the light source or userprior to said deployment or at the time of said deployment.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said capability is electronically deactivatedby at least part of the software required to implement said capabilitybeing omitted from the light source at said time of deployment, andwherein said activation data comprises a software upgrade to provide theomitted software.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein said request isreceived from a user (8), and the method comprises: detecting thedeployment of the light source in said environment, when having saidsecond communication technology locked; and in response to saiddetection, prompting a user with an option to upgrade the light source,thereby invoking said request.
 13. A system comprising: a light sourcein the form of a luminaire or lamp deployed in an environment, arrangedto emit light into the environment, wherein the light source isconfigured to enable the light to be controlled via a firstcommunication channel, but having a capability for the light to becontrolled via a second communication channel being electronicallydeactivated; and a server arranged to receive a request to upgrade thelight source, and in response to said request, to send activation datato the light source or a user of the lights source, thereby enablingsaid capability for the light to be controlled via the secondcommunication channel to be electronically activated.
 14. The system ofclaim 13, further comprising a lighting bridge arranged to automaticallydetect the deployment of the light source in said environment whenhaving said second communication channel deactivated, and in response tosaid detection, to automatically prompt a user with an option to upgradethe light source, thereby invoking said request.
 15. A computer programproduct for controlling a light source in the form of a luminaire orlamp to emit light into an environment, the computer program productbeing embodied on a computer-readable storage medium and configured soas when run on the light source to: from a time at which the lightsource is first deployed into said environment, enabling the light to becontrolled via a first communication channel; receive activation dataafter said time of deployment of the light source into said environment;and use the received activation data to enable the light to becontrolled via a second communication channel.